So, the only salvation may be the US. Donald Trump is considering sanctions against a British lawyer over the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu will inform the International Criminal Court that Israel will appeal his arrest warrant. Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported it on X, explaining that he learned of it from an Israeli official. Netanyahu is said to have made the decision at the last minute, as the deadline for appeals expired at midnight yesterday. The court rejected Israel’s request that he notify Tel Aviv of its investigation into the development of the war, although it said that Israel could appeal the court’s jurisdiction after its decision to issue the arrest warrant.
On November 21, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is now wanted for war crimes for the events that took place in the Gaza Strip from October 7, 2023 onwards. As in the case of Vladimir Putin, the arrest warrant is politically significant and aims to turn the Israeli prime minister into an international pariah, complicating efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza. It is difficult to imagine that the warrant will have its effects, but it could have a serious impact on Israeli foreign policy in the short term.
APPEAL OF THE RULING
In revealing the reason for the action, Netanyahu’s office stressed that Israel’s appeal “exposes in detail how absurd the issuance of the arrest warrants was and how it lacks any factual or legal basis.” The statement added that if the ICC rejects the appeal, it will only “underscore to Israel’s friends in the United States and around the world how biased the International Criminal Court is against Israel.” The disregard was confirmed by Netanyahu’s office in a note, according to which Israel’s request to the ICC is to suspend the arrest warrants against the prime minister and Gallant pending the outcome of the appeal.
NETANYAHU’S CHANCE
In this regard, in the last few hours, an oversight would become increasingly loud: Israel would have conditioned France’s involvement in the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon on the public announcement by Paris that it would not honor the arrest warrant for the International Criminal. Court against the prime minister if he entered the country. Haaretz reported this. After the ceasefire came into effect, Paris announced that it could not arrest Netanyahu because it believed that the Israeli prime minister had immunity from the ICC. A statement that seems to contradict the one made immediately after the arrest warrant was issued, when Paris said it would respect the Court’s decision.
A few hours after the ceasefire came into force in the Land of the Cedars, when asked about the possibility of Netanyahu’s arrest in France, the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noel Barrot, spoke of “possible immunity issues” for “some leaders” in application of the Rome Statute, sending the decision “as a last resort” to the judicial authorities. However, immediately after the ICC decision, the Quai d’Orsay said that he had “taken into account” respecting his long-standing commitments in support of international justice” and recalling his connection to the independent work of the ICC.
“SALVAGE”
In the meantime, the only salvation may be the US. Donald Trump is considering sanctions against a British lawyer in connection with the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu. The Hague-based court is facing a major international backlash over its decision to issue a warrant for the Israeli prime minister and Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defense minister.
Mike Waltz, who will serve as Trump’s national security adviser, said the court “lacked credibility” and promised “a strong response to the ICC’s anti-Semitic bias” when the Trump administration takes office on January 20. Karim Khan KC, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, could be among the officials targeted for sanctions by Trump.
